Top 5 Games That Should Be Turned Into An MMO

MMOs have always been my favorite genre of games; expansive worlds, swarms of people, and constant renovation of the game all create an experience that is unlike anything that can be found in a single-player game. Can all games be turned into MMOs? No. However, there are some games that really lend themselves to the genre. So, I thought of five games that should be turned into MMOs.

Bioshock

Bioshock has created a huge and expansive world, and with the multiple-universe plot twists that were implemented in Bioshock Infinite, could there be a universe where Andrew Ryan or Comstock’s plan came to fruition? Allowing for the game to come out of the water, or down from the air, and onto the natural world, it could allow for some interesting ideas. Keep the first person style; keep most of the controls (allow for easier switching between Vigors [Plasmids], and guns); keep the atmosphere. Throw in a larger open-world, but maybe throw time travel into the mix and make Columbia and Rapture raid-type encounters.

It would be awesome if it allowed players to pick a faction to join. Maybe in one universe Comstock and Andrew Ryan both exist at the same time, and you the player has to pick a side, or maybe there’s an underground resistance faction. Who knows, the possibilities are endless! I love this franchise and I think a well executed MMO, could really flesh out its lore even more, and make for some really interesting gameplay experiences.

inFAMOUS

The Ray Sphere goes off and a bunch of people begin to come into their dormant powers. I want to be one of them! Sure DC Universe Online is your typical superhero MMO, but inFAMOUS could give a totally different twist on the genre. The idea about inFamous that I like the most is that the people who have these superhuman powers were once just your average people. They have fallacies, and they’re easy to identify with. DCUO tried to mix this idea into its game, but I think inFAMOUS could pull this off with a little more finesse and style.

As far as gameplay goes, I would have everyone pick one main power, and then one power that they minor in, think along the lines of Final Fantasy XI main/sub job system. This would allow for some creative combinations of powers, and would give everyone an unique playstyle. This would also force the developers to flesh out the already existing powers and to provide some new ones for further variation, which would be absolutely amazing.

Borderlands

Borderlands is basically already an MMO, it’s just missing all the people running around. Buy a few servers, load Borderlands 1 and 2 maps onto it, and just let people go crazy. It’s boggling that this hasn’t already become an MMO because I’m sure it would be incredibly well received on the new consoles.

Kingdom Hearts

How awesome would this be? Imagine a Kingdom Hearts game where you are the protagonist and you get to wield your personal designed Keyblade. In the events before Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, there was “The Great Keyblade War” were thousands of Keyblade Warriors battled for the Xblade. If that many Keyblade Warriors once existed why can’t they again? With each iteration of the franchise, more and more Keyblades are presenting themselves, so why can’t there be thousands of Keyblades sometime in the future?

I could see this game functioning like the original Guild Wars where there were city hubs, where all the players could gather and trade items, but they would be required to split into small groups to participate in instanced dungeons. I would keep the classic Kingdom Hearts battle system, just instead of Donald and Goofy by your side, there would be other Keyblade Warriors. This could also be an amazing action PvP MMO; maybe the Keyblade Warriors have to train in arenas against one another. How cool would that be? Throw some Disney into the mix, and you’ve got a winning recipe for a fantastic MMO.

Pokémon

We all saw this one coming, as it is probably the most vocalized by the fan base for an MMO iteration. One could argue that the games have been inching their way towards this idea for some time. With each new installment of the franchise, the accessibility of trainer-to-trainer interaction has become easier and easier. Ten years ago, to battle against or to trade with another person you not only needed a friend with the game (or just a friend in general), you also needed a link cable. Now battling and trading is only gated by a quick button push and a file save.

Imagine an open world Pokémon game, that allowed for all trainers to connect to a server and play together. A good addition might be a battle timer, something akin to Final Fantasy X-2 that way decisions would have to be made a little quicker when battling against other people. Aside from that, Pokémon has always been an innovative franchise and they have yet to steer their fanbase wrong, so I assume that if a Pokémon MMO could be made, and made correctly, Game Freak are the guys to do it.

So what do you guys think? Do you agree? Do you disagree? Be sure to leave some feedback in the comment section below!

Mike Morrissette is one of MONG’s Editors. He also has an unhealthy obsession with The Green Lantern and anything involving Nutella. You can follow him on twitter, or friend him on PSN at HaughtyPride.